A turbofan gas turbine engine may be used to power aircraft and may include, for example, a fan section, a compressor section, a combustor section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section, where each section has components that are mounted to a rotor. The fan section induces air from the surrounding environment into the engine and accelerates a fraction of the air toward the compressor section. The remaining fraction of air is accelerated into and through a bypass plenum, and out the exhaust section.
The compressor section, which may include a high pressure compressor and a low pressure compressor, raises the pressure of the air it receives from the fan section to a relatively high level. The compressed air then enters the combustor section, where a ring of fuel nozzles injects a steady stream of fuel into a plenum. The injected fuel is ignited to produce high-energy compressed air. The air then flows into and through the turbine section causing turbine blades therein to rotate and generate energy. This energy is used to power the fan and compressor sections. The air exiting the turbine section is exhausted from the engine via the exhaust section, and the energy remaining in the exhaust air aids the thrust generated by the air flowing through the bypass plenum.
During engine operation when the rotor rotates, one or more of the components may be unbalanced which may cause vibration. To at least partially dampen the vibration, damping systems are typically incorporated into the engine. The damping systems may include isolators, shock absorbers, or other damping devices; however, as the desire for greater power output continues to increase, these conventional damping systems may not adequately damp the corresponding increases in engine vibration.
Hence, there is a need for an improved damping system for use in an engine. It is desirable for the system to be relatively lightweight, simple, and inexpensive to implement.